Friday, January 30, 2009

Chances are if you own a TV, you've seen the ads. If you've watched the news, you've seen the ads. If you've been on the internet, you've seen the ads. The digital transition is quickly approaching... or is it?

We've known for probably two years now that on February 17, 2009 television will make the switch from analog signal to digital. This is suppose to make a great improvement to the quality of our picture and sound, plus give us more options (as if we don't have enough already). But just this past week, congress approved to postponing the transition another 4-5 months!

It's reported that approximately 6.5 million Americans are still using "rabbit ears" to get their daily dose of TV. I personally did not realize that there were this many people in the 21st Century that did not have cable or satellite. If you are one of these people, this will probably concern you. But consider the other 306 million people living in the country. I say don't postpone this transition any longer. The government has done a great job of offering help to those who needed it by presenting a coupon for the "digital converter box" that will allow people to continue to use their rabbit ears, so they don't have to sign a cable or satellite contract. But it's time.

Now, whether or not this transition will make a huge impact on the way the average joe views TV is still up for debate. Many say it won't make a difference at all to the average viewer, others say it will make a huge difference in the way we see TV. The theory is that the picture will be clearer and the sound sharper... I guess we will find out soon enough.

Give us your opinion. Comment on this story and other stories and be sure to vote in our weekly poll. This week "Are you DTV ready?" and be sure to download our weekly podcast "Talkology" by going to SearcyLiving.com and clicking on the podcast link.

Friday, January 16, 2009

In today's podcast myself and Aaron talked briefly about our nations struggling economy. We all know that the country is in debt, about 10 Trillion in debt to be exact. That's: $10,000,000,000,000.00.... yeah, most of us don't make quite that many zeros. The economy is tanking and there are so many mom and pop businesses that are going under because they aren't pulling in the cash they need to survive. In my opinion this is a travesty.

Now, I know there is more to this monster than meets the eye, and everyone has an opinion on how to make it better. But in my opinion there are those living in this great country that can help, and there are those that need help. Those that need help are the ones that are struggling to keep their bills paid. The soccer mom who has to work two jobs so her kids can have a half way decent life. The dad who is doing everything he can just so his family can eat and have a decent home to live in. The small business owner who is struggling to keep their head above water, these are the people that need help.

But there are those living in this country who can help. The ones that have been richly blessed, in wealth and in life. People like professional athletes, famous actors and actresses, musicians, and CEO's of huge companies. It's no secret that pro athletes make an astonishing amount of money. Take for example the New York Yankees, probably the most well known sports team in the entire world, has by far the largest payroll in pro sports. Just recently they signed or resigned five star players who's salary in in the area of Half a Billion dollars!! Talk about a stimulus package. If these athletes would give up even a portion of their salary (let's face it, they could live off a lowly one million dollars) they could help a lot of hurting people. If Kobe Bryant, A-Rod, Tiger Woods, and Tom Brady all gave up all but just enough to live on, they could practically bail out America...

I know most of you reading this blog don't have millions of dollars in the bank, and you might even be one of the people who need help. But I encourage you, if you are a person who has been blessed. If you have a good steady job with job security, and you are doing good financially, consider giving back. Let's all help those that need help in our communities. You can help!!

Give us your feedback. We want to hear what you have to say, comment on this blog and remember to listen to our weekly podcast every monday and friday at 4pm only at SearcyLiving.com.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Thanks for checking out the brand new Searcy Living Online Blog. On this feed, you'll read blogs from our staff at Searcy Living about the latest news, entertainment, and local events. We'll also be blogging about the topics we discuss on our weekly podcast, which you can hear every Monday and Friday afternoon at 4pm.